Spiderbug
The Spiderbug (frequently abbreviated as Spiders) are arachnid-like enemies and ambient creatures that appear in Metro: Last Light. They combine spider and scorpion features and behavior, however, unlike real arachnids, they are deathly vulnerable to light. Overview Large Spiders Large spiders are enemies encountered in several chapters throughout Last Light, first appearing in Reich, but first fought in Torchlight. All variations of spider will avoid light sources, including Artyom's flashlight, so turn on all the available lights in your area to create safe zones in case you need to retreat. When exposed to the flashlight beam, spiders will begin to smoke, turn a reddish-black color, and often backpedal away from Artyom to attempt to break line of sight, such as by scurrying behind a pillar or around a corner. Once they are safely out of the light, they will come back to attack again. Adult spiders have a thick armored shell that is impervious to gunfire, and must be flipped onto their backs via exposure to light to kill; these can be distinguished from their weaker hatchling counterparts, that are not bulletproof, by their brown colouration. Large spiders come in several different varieties: *Male spiders: Spiders possessing a scorpion-like tail stinger. Their primary attacks involve a stinger jab. *Female spiders: Spiders with a rounded abdomen and no tail. They primarily bite and claw to attack. They seem to withstand both light and fire better than their male counterparts. *Hatchling spiders: These spiders are freshly emerged from their egg sacs. They are a light golden-green color, as opposed to the dull brown of their elders, and cannot withstand gunfire, unlike their adult companions. All of these found in the game are male, indicating that the small spiders that hatch with them are the females. If they are exposed to the flashlight continuously they will flip over. If Artyom continues to shine his flashlight at them, they will quickly die, making it unnecessary to use ammo - saying that, only a blast from a Duplet or a few Kalash rounds are enough for a kill. Artyom can also stab flipped-over spiders, although keeping the flashlight on them is arguably easier and faster. Sometimes if they are getting too close, or other spiderbugs are nearby, the flashlight trick may be useless - be ready to shoot or the quick-button event (usually quickly tap the action key or button), to eliminate them quickly. Spiders2.png|The stinger variant charging. Spiders3.png|The standard variant charging. Spiders4.png|A hatchling variant shortly after emerging from an egg. Small Spiders Small spiders are found hanging from webs in various locations in the game. These spiders were first seen in early gameplay trailers of the game, and pose no harm to the player. Their webs, though able to slow down the player's progress, can be burned away with the lighter. Additionally, in areas infested with spiders, small spiders can often be seen emerging in groups of 5-10 from fleshy egg sacs along the walls and floor, and emerge when approached. They are also found clustered round various dead bodies on the surface and must be removed to access the body (and any filters, ammunition etc. it is carrying), indicating the spiders are carnivorous, though it is unlikely the small spiders killed any of the bodies themselves. There is also a fish tank inside the Venice brothel that contains two small spiders, one of which will jump at Artyom when approached. This indicated that, although they are not tame, they can be kept as pets, albeit scary ones. These spiders seem to be immune or at least resistant to light, which might change later in its life cycle if they do grow into the adult female spiderbug. SmallSpider.png|A small spider sitting in a web. SpidersClutch.png|The type of egg clutch that both hatchlings and small spiders emerge from. Reproduction Like the Shrimp, it is unknown how exactly the spiderbug life-cycle works: Spiders are distinctly split between two sizes: large and small, with the small spiders arguably being infants and large spiders being adults of some variety. To support this reasonable theory, small spiders - though found around the metro and surface - are very frequently seen around large ones, and can be seen coming out of egg clutches whenever (sometimes, only when,) Artyom passes near them. However, at the same time, adult spiders, specifically the hatchling variant, are also seen emerging from the egg clutches. The appearance of both types of spiders emerging from the same type of egg is most puzzling, reflecting either two separate but co-existing, symbiotic, variants of the same species of spiders, or several stages of reproduction: starting as eggs; hatch as small spiders in egg clutches; emerge; eat; make webs; move into new clutches; becoming hatchling adult spiders; mature; copulate. It is possible that the small spiders emerge from egg clutches because they are disturbed by Artyom's presence, and will eventually grow into the larger spiders. It is also possible that the small spiders will grow up into the big female spiders as only males are ever seen hatching at full size, indicating that 'male' and 'female' spiders are not independant, but the same thing with a different life cycle. Trivia *Do not bother wasting any ammunition on adult spiders, except when you need a little breathing room - a blast from a Duplet will stop a spider temporarily. *It is possible that there are still regular spiders inside the Metro, as some webs are regular sized (if a room is abandoned for a time, as much of the Metro is), but they are not seen. *Artyom suggests in a note that Spiderbugs were not created by the radiation when the bombs fell, but were always there, waiting in the shadows of the Metro, and only now come out as they can sense humanity is weak. *As of the Developer Pack DLC, there is a whole level devoted to Spiderbugs, called Spider Lair, where a Stalker is forced to navigate an abandoned missile silo, armed with only basic equipment and a Flamethrower. *It is unknown whether Male Spiders have any sort of venom in their stinger, like scorpions, or it is just another sharp piercing blade. Gallery 2013-05-13_00068.jpg|Small spiders in their web, illuminated by the flashlight 2013-05-13_00072.jpg|A clutch of spider eggs. 2013-05-14_00095.jpg|A deceased "standard" spider, badly burned from flashlight exposure, viewed from behind. 2013-05-14 00093.jpg|A spider seen in the distance (center-right). 2013-05-14 00092.jpg|A dead hatchling spider, reddened by flashlight exposure. 2013-05-14 00193.jpg|Small spiders as seen in the Venice brothel. Category:Mutants Category:Developer Pack DLC